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Theatre Arts for Advanced Secondary Schools

speech patterns that reflect their unique culture and identities. Theatre
artists need to be aware of symbols, vocabularies, artifacts and meaning
they communicate within that particular culture and use them appropriately
in their performances. Being aware of language variations and meaning
of their symbols increase the possibility of their performances being
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accepted by the community for which the performance is prepared. More
importantly, it adds authenticity to the performance and it renders the
audience a sense of touch of what is performed.

(b) Cultural values in a given culture: Every community has cultural values
such as norms and taboos of their community. As theatre artists, it
is important to know all and be careful on applying them into theatre
performances. One should avoid using language or topics that may be
offensive or disrespectful to the culture of the people being represented.
Consider consulting cultural advisors or community members to ensure
that language and symbols used in the performance aligns with cultural
values and norms of that specific community. There are particularly cases
where the performance that is prepared has been adopted or translated
from other cultures. One should make sure the translated script reflects the
language and culture of the target community. One should also, consider
working with translators or cultural experts to ensure that translated works
adhere to the culture of a given group of people.

Activity 6.2

Choose a story or short play written in English. Translate it into Kiswahili.
As you translate, highlight opportunities and challenges that arise when
translating the words, idioms, cultural objects and references.

(c) The historical context: Theatre artists need to be aware of the history of
the community for which the performance is prepared. If the performance
is historical, the language, costumes and symbols should reflect the culture
of the people of that particular time in history. Theatre artists should pay
attention to linguistic changes, slang and idiomatic expressions that may
have been prevalent in the culture at that time. Adhering to historical
accuracy adds depth and authenticity to theatre performances.

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